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Developer, Hardeeville ironing out mixed-use project's next steps

Plans for a $150 million mixed-use development in Hardeeville are taking shape as the developer and city staff work on market and environmental impact studies.

Gateway Crossing, a 300-acre, three-phase development, was announced in October by Gateway Development Partners, a Hilton Head developer. The development is planned for a site off Interstate 95 at Exit 5 on Frontage Road and U.S. 17.

Ralph Braden, managing member of I-95, LLC partnership and Gateway Development Partners, LLC, said due diligence on the project is well under way.

He said the plan is to break ground in May on the first phase.

“We’re still going full blast. Everything looks like we’re on schedule. We’re rewriting documents and doing land planning,” Braden said.

He said there isn’t a lot to report since the initial announcement in October because there is lots of paperwork and analysis that must be done and several agencies to work with, including state and federal. “We’re going through the layers,” Braden said.

The 413,000 square feet of commercial and residential space will be built out in three phases over seven to eight years. The project is a private-public partnership that includes the developer, the city of Hardeeville and Jasper County.

Bob Nanni, Hardeeville city manager, said city staff has been meeting with Braden’s team to iron out details that will lead to a developer’s agreement. He said that step and its document are critical to the project.

“We have all the players at the table,” Nanni said. “It’s a viable project. It will eventually come down to finances and the developer.”

A need for affordable housing in Hardeeville and Jasper and Beaufort counties was a top consideration for Braden’s company.

Initially, the project was going to be all residential, but after input from Hardeeville and Jasper officials, the mixed-use plan was hatched.

The first phase will have rental property and a village center. It will be a mix of residential, retail and commercial. Plans call for a grocery store, a couple of outparcels for local shops and/or restaurants and a public pavilion.